Driving onto a motorway

[CruCru]

On Monday I was joining a motorway from a slip road. This slip road merges with the slow lane of the motorway (M27).

I had a motorcyclist dressed all in black immediately behind me (very very close) and a red van in the slow lane at exactly the point I was going to join. I couldn't brake without causing a serious hazard to the dressed-in-black motorcyclist. So, heart racing, I pressed my foot down to the floor and managed to get onto the motorway with what felt like mere inches between me and the red van. Meanwhile, the dressed-in-black motorcyclist did an exotic manoeuvre known as weaving between lanes and undertaking a bunch of the cars on the right.

It gave me shakey leg for a while (although 8 mo DS didn't even wake up). Why on earth do motorcyclists (not all but definitely this one) take such terrible risks?

Crucru.

The official line is to check the traffic on the motorway and match your speed to fit safely into the traffic flow in the left-hand lane so you are right.

You judge your speed so you can merge safely.

But the fact the op ended up side by side with a van at the point they wanted to join suggests they didn't judge it properly.

I would have slowed down, if the biker goes into the back of you it's his own stupid fault for being up your arse.

All you can do is drive defensively for yourself

It is not always easy to judge the speed of vehicles already on the motorway. The Spaghetti Junction for example when getting on from the A38, you have no idea what speed they are going at until you practically are side by side to them. I could be doing 30 mph and still need to slow down going by that theory, but doesn't mean it was my fault as I was hardly speeding, just trying to gain speed to be able to join fast flowing traffic. Sometimes, it doesn't quite work out though especially when it turns out there is traffic but that is where consideration should come in. You see a car is about to struggle to join build up of traffic, jump over or slow down to allow them to join without problems.

There are far too many selfish and impatient drivers around these days IMO.

A question to OP, could youhave moved over to the left to allow the motorbike to pass you?? I do this if I see one behind me in the mirror :)

Hi Topknob, no I couldn't. There was a left hand lane but it was full of traffic. If I had moved left, I would have been a bit too close to those vehicles. I usually like fast motorcycles to go past me so I don't have to concentrate as much on them.

Buckingfiatch yes, it was quite a similar situation to the one you described. The slip road is on quite a sharp bend and you meet with the motorway relatively suddenly.

oh :( he was being a knob then :(

Oh god, they absolutly terrify me when I'm driving.

I was having a driving lesson a few weeks ago and was at a horrid junction with a steep hill start, there was a guy on a motorbike who decided to get right up my arse. I was absolutly shitting myself that I wouldn't have the right biting point when the lights changed and would end up rolling back a little bit.

All was fine in the end,mbut you'd think he wouldn't take such a risk with a learner driver.

Why do motorcyclists drive so close behind and always seem to hang about the back drivers side wing - do they realise they can't be easily seen there? Any motorcyclists here?

Personally, I'd have braked and let the biker take his chances My kids would come first and he shouldn't be tailgating you.

Do motorbikers get taught as part of their driver training anything about NOT following too closely, not over taking suddenly, not coming up too fast behind cars so that they seem to "appear out of nowhere"? I want to presume it's standard defensive driving techniques they all must learn to pass their tests, to not to do those things. Do they not get taught all that, or do they decide to ignore such guidance after they pass their tests?

If he was behind you heading onto a motorway then he would/should have known that you would have to brake to fit in so should have been prepared if you had.

I don't hang on the drivers wing on my bike. Not all of us do this. Just like some drivers tailgate and speed and some don't.

However... Many years ago on my lessons I was taught that it is easier to stay to the right as if there is a problem or something in the road (it was horse poo on the country lanes we were on) you can then go either left or right around it rather than if you are further left on the road and only have one way to go.

Some motorway slip roads are so badly designed. On some of them because it forces you round a tight bend you can't get up to the right speed then suddenly there is the motorway and you have about 2 seconds to see the traffic in the slow lane & hope someone will let you in...

Funny that they advise that as I can't see bikers proeprly if they are on the right of the car up my arse, which is what they nearly always do to me. I don't know if it's because a lot of motorcyclists are young ones round here - ie that young they've still "L" plates and drive hairdryers.

I didn't say that they advise driving like a f'wit right up someone's arse.

That's not what I meant xales I meant only the bit you said about the right hand side, perhaps I should have differentiated.

They do always go up my arse then swerve around me in a dangerous fashion. I think the signs should be "think pedestrian/cyclist/car" rather than "think bike" tbh.

If they are far enough back from you even if to your right you should be able to see them.

The being slightly to the right also means you can go easier down the side of the car if it stops suddenly rather than heading up the kerb. If you are that close that you cannot stop safely you are driving dangerously though.

While we are on the subject of idiot bikers. FFS shorts and a short sleeved tee are not adequate protection in the event of an accident.

Of course xales it's the closeness that's a problem!

I do wonder why some riders don't wear leathers, I wouldn't risk it!